This is an edited version of our monthly newsletter. The full version, including meet up dates, is available to members only. To find out how to become a member, drop us a line via our contact page.
Hello Everyone
At our last meeting in September, we heard from award winning author and public historian Clare Mulley, who brought to life the exploits of Agent Zo, the outstandingly brave, Polish resistance fighter Elżbieta Zawacka who crossed international borders more than 100 times smuggling military intelligence to the allies in World War 2. A couple of days after the meeting, Clare was off to Paris to receive the ANFB Chevalier d’Argent for advancing the memory of those who served, particularly female combatants. The Croix was once given to veterans of the resistance. You can read more here. We were also joined by Charlotte Graham and her Mother and 2 of her sisters to tell us about their petition to save Christmas cards and urge Royal Mail to introduce a 50pence seasonal stamp. You can sign the petition here.
Our October monthly meeting is once again in Studio 1, Battersea Arts Centre. Doors will open at 7pm and as before, the room will already have been arranged when we arrive. Our guest speaker is Sarah Slater, Hampton Court Tour Guide, who will tell us all about Kirtles, Corsets and Curtains: historical female fashion from the C16th to C20th.
Next month is our AGM. All the committee members have to stand down as they are only elected for a one year period. Surrey Federation will be our WI Advisor for the evening, ensuring we follow the correct process in electing a new committee. We will also have 2 independent Tellers from Fulham and Chelsea WI. Any members interested in being nominated by another member for the committee can speak to any of the current committee members to find out more about what is involved. Nominations should go to our current Secretary.
In other news for the bakers and recipe lovers amongst you, we’ve been contacted by Raw Productions who are working with Lorraine Kelly and HP Smart Tank to create a special book celebrating Britain’s baking traditions – The National Book of Bakes. When they thought ‘baking’, they immediately thought of the WI Community. If you are interested in contributing, you can find out more here. If you do take part, we’d love to know how you get on and which recipe you share.
And finally…a huge thank you to Mandy who will be working with Elaine to take on some of the newsletter and reminder mailings we send out via Mailchimp. Also, don’t forget to check Offshoots for local information about what’s on in Battersea, as well as the SurreyFed section. In the NFWI section there’s information about the online learning hub, VIA. Some of you asked about how to log in, so we’ve included information to help.
See you in October at Battersea Arts Centre (if not before!)
Sue L and Sue M
Joint Presidents, Battersea WI
presidentbattersea@surreyfedwi.org.uk
Contents:
- Forthcoming speakers, events and meetings
- Your BWI Groups – activities and updates
- Offshoots – local news and events
- Surrey Federation news and information
- NFWI news from HQ and information
Forthcoming speakers, events and meetings 2026/7
2026
- 20th October – Kirtles, Corsets and Curtains with Sarah Slater, Hampton Court Tour Guide (BAC Studio 1)
- 17th November – AGM (St V de P Church Hall)
- 15th December – Christmas Party (St V de P Church Hall)
2027
- 19th January London’s Air Ambulance charity
- 16th February Ali Epson, Fit to Flourish (wellness talk)
- 16th March Catherine Aubert, Amelie’s Follies, breast health and bra fitting session.
- 20th April Singing with Zara McFarlane
Your BWI Groups – activities and updates
Book Groups – what we’ve been reading
Battersea Bookends update by Caro
Written 6 years ago, it’s Louise Hare’s debut novel for which she got the inspiration after visiting the Clapham Common Shelter temporarily used to house some of the Windrush passengers. So lots of familiar places for us from Brixton to Clapham Common via Lavender Hill and Ardings & Hobbs! A murder mystery started by the discovery of a dead child by the Eagle Pond on Clapham Common, the story is told through the past and present, different characters, letters and newspapers article, and is very evocative of post war London exploring the experience of the Windrush generation against the backdrop of jazz clubs in Soho and community life in the late 40s and 50s. It is quite a compelling read which delves in racial prejudice, xenophobia, belonging and isolation, what it is to call somewhere home, mistrust and suspicion “a man with a black skin could never be considered British no matter what his passport says”, as well as post war austerity, the pressure of gender, children born out of wedlock, inequality and social class, but it is also full of hope and the power of love which endures and conquers all. As the book says, the newcomers are always treated with suspicion. 70 years on, has it really changed?
Boozy Books update by Amanda
Ripeness by Sarah Moss caused a division in the book group! Those who had listened to the book thought it was wonderful and those who had read the book were not at all keen. As a teenager in the 1960s, Edith travels to Italy to help her pregnant sister, Lydia. Following strict instructions from their mother, Edith helps with the birth and then makes a phone call that gives the baby away, sealing the child’s fate. Decades later in Ireland, Edith’s best friend, Maebh, receives a phone call from an American man claiming to be her brother. Maebh discovers her mother gave up a child for adoption long ago. When Maebh asks Edith for help navigating this sudden family discovery, it shakes Edith’s quiet life. The modern revelation forces Edith to confront the buried grief, guilt, and memory of the baby she knew and loved for a brief time in Italy. The book jumps between the two stories chapter by chapter and those of us reading the book preferred the interesting account of life in Italy to the slow account of life in Ireland. The punctuation is haphazard. The book addresses issues over story and left us wanting answers at the end to tie off the story.
Chapter One Reading Group update by Jane
In September we read James by Percival Everett. In this book the writer takes the classic and controversial American novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain in 1884, and retells it from the point of view of Jim the runaway slave who joins Huck on his journey down the Mississippi River.
The story of James’s adventures moves at great pace through a succession of dangerous experiences, amazing escapes and strange characters met along the way. We are shown the experience of racial oppression and horrific cruelty but the character of James, reimagined as a self educated, thoughtful and caring person, also demonstrates courage, humanity and humour. This is a worthwhile and thought provoking book and very readable despite the dark themes. It is an excellent basis for a book group discussion.
Coffee Morning – update by Clare GH
We had a good coffee with a good turn out and talked about various things including Jury service.
Craft Group – update by Elaine
Edenbridge and Oxted Agricultural Show 30/31st August
This year BWI submitted a whopping 18 entries, beating previous years by a considerable margin! Submissions included: 3 works of art, 7 photos, 3 bottles of liqueur, 1 sewing project, 1 ‘I made it’ project, 1 chutney and 2 cakes. The icing on the cake (pun intended) was BWI getting 5 placed wins: 3rd prize to Clare G for her chutney, and to Vivien for her holiday photograph (see below, pony queuing for ice cream!), chosen by the visiting public, 2nd to Vivien for her etching of Bertie and Barnaby and to Sue M for her carrot cake and a 1st for yours truly for Compost Heap Liqueur using the recipe for Compost Heap Jelly on the E&O entry info booklet and creating a liqueur that seems to have gone down very well. We had enormous fun so we’re hoping even more of you will not only enter next year, but also come down either to visit the show or to volunteer with SFWI – you get a free ticket to the show if you do! There’s a reel on our IG page plus some photos below for those not on the ‘gram.
Textiles in the Park – Exhibition 5-27th September
Craft group visited Morden Hall Park to enjoy gorgeous textiles inspired by the Park and its local heritage. Cathy Corbishley, whom we met earlier this year in April when we went to her quilts exhibition which was also in the Stableyard, was on hand to welcome the group and talk about the different pieces, including her cyanotypes printed on organdie. The exhibition was very inspiring and some of us are thinking about whether we could do our own BWI collaborative piece.
Film Club updates by Clare G and Julie
As August’s film night fell on the Bank Holiday, we had 2 outings in September!
Our film on 1 September was Tony, director Matt Johnson’s coming-of-age comedy drama based on celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain’s own account of his start in cookery in his 2000 memoir Kitchen Confidential. It’s 1975 and Anthony/ Tony (played by a suitably edgy and smouldering Dominic Sessa) is nineteen and still a student at Vassar. Cocky, obnoxious and not half so clever as he thinks he is, he’s just failed to get the creative writing fellowship he applied for. Lying through his teeth about that, he pursues his high-school crush Nancy (the kittenishly pretty Emilia Jones) to Provincetown in Massachusetts where he is to spend a chaotic but formative summer working in a run-down seafood restaurant, a School of Hard Knocks whose worldly-wise Chef (a lovely mature performance by Antonio Banderas) will become his first mentor. I’d chosen this one and personally I thought it was great, a really well-made film. All of us enjoyed its period details and agreed that Johnson captured well the sweaty, cramped, high-adrenaline, drug-fuelled atmosphere of a catering kitchen. Some of us thought it too slow in places though, and/ or found the characters too unsympathetic, so our group score was 3 out of 5.
Unsurprisingly there was a big turnout for our second September film, Sense and Sensibility. Most of us absolutely loved this stunning new adaptation by Georgia Oakley but a couple still preferred Ang Lee’s iconic 1995 version. This version is more moody, untamed and feels incredibly realistic. Cinematography, sets and costumes are simply beautiful, this is definitely a film which has to be seen on a big screen – do not wait until it is on Netflix! Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles star as the elder Dashwood sisters and are quite brilliant, as is Fiona Shaw who is hilarious in the role of Mrs Jennings. The movie has many genuinely very funny moments throughout but is equally very emotional and left quite a few of us in tears by the end. A must see.
Foodies – update by Amanda
September meetup was a retro evening. The food was top Michelin star level! We started with prawn cocktails with impeccable presentation; then had a choice of authentic coq au vin or an amazing salmon coulibiac, as you will see in the photos, accompanied by a perfect ratatouille. We followed this up with sticky toffee pudding and ever so pretty fruit jellies. We decided that the sticky toffee pudding would make a good alternative for Christmas day. Here is the link to the recipe.
Green Living, Sustainability and Foraging – updates by Elaine
As part of Sustainable September, we visited the South London Botanical Institute Founded 1910, this recently restored building based in Tulse Hill, is a five-minute walk from the railway station. Megan Akerman its Programme Manager introduced us to its fascinating history and took us around its library, herbarium and garden. After that we enjoyed having a go at making our own herbal tea blends to take home, before finishing up with a more conventional cup of tea and biscuits. (Update by Clare G)
Natural History Museum – Fixing Our Broken Planet
Outings Group is off to the Natural History Museum to see the ‘Baa-Ewe’ Tapestry celebrating Shaun the Sheep, followed by a visit to Fixing our Broken Planet, looking at ways we can combat the current climate crisis. If you’d like to join them, there’s further info in Outings below, and check the Group Meet up dates page.
Volunteering Opportunity – Tree Mulching, Wandsworth Common
6th October, 0930-1230. In this session Enable is looking for volunteers to help mulch some of the young trees growing across Wandsworth Common. This involves removing the very top turf from around the tree and replacing it with bark chip (leaving the root flare uncovered). This session will be moderately active, sign up via this link: Habitat Management Volunteering – Wandsworth Common (06.10.26 / 9:30am-12:30pm) – Fill out form
Climate Ambassador update
As a member of the Battersea Climate Action Team I’m pleased to confirm we’ve secured a meeting later in the month with the Wandsworth Cabinet Member for Environment. I’ll report back in the November newsletter on how sustainability will continue as a priority in the face of reduced budgets following the Council’s latest Spending Review.
For more information about the WI’s Climate Ambassador Scheme click here
Outings Group update by Amanda
Outings coming up include a visit to the ‘Baa-Ewe’ Tapestry celebrating Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom at the Natural History Museum. Meeting in the Central Café for a cup of tea before we view the tapestry then visit the Fixing our Broken Planet Gallery. The timing should mean school trips have gone home! There’s a whole host of amazing things to discover in the Fixing our Broken Planet Gallery, whether it’s what whale ear wax tells us about ocean pollution, how fungi-based fertilisers support food production or how European bison are helping us to store more carbon. Plus, if you’ve ever wondered about the carbon footprint of your pet or what local lichen can tell you about air pollution in your area, we can find the answers in the gallery. Ten of us have signed up for this outing, do join us. For more information about future outings including our Christmas outing to the Pantomime – Jack and the Beanstalk at Richmond (5.30pm performance) please click on the Group Outings page (available to members only.)
Simply Sketching update by Vivien
This month in the sketching group we decided to experiment with water – water brushes to be more exact! Our coloured pencil work came alive by sweeping over it with a little water from the reservoir in the hollow brush handles. We also had a go at creating shadows in our pictures, using water-soluble graphite, as well as discussing how these brushes would be a great addition to any travel mini-paintbox. We felt that the session had been really fun, and inspiring for us all 🎨🎨🎨
Swimming Group update by Sue M
In September the BWI swimmers took to the water again at the mixed pond on Hampstead Heath. The weather was glorious and the pond inviting as we splashed about in the silky warm waters and dried off on the benches surrounding the pond. The pond did provide something of a challenge to those who had not swum recently or in open (cold) water but we all survived the trip which was rounded off by a hot drink in Hampstead Village. The temperature is gradually dropping so further expeditions may need to be limited to indoor swimming pools until the Spring!
Walking Group update by Clare
Our monthly Friday morning walk saw seven of us plus Tiger, Bertie and Barnaby set off on the train to Chipstead, to walk the three-mile Banstead Woods and Chipstead Downs Nature Trail. This nature reserve is a beautiful, peaceful place: the woods are ancient, full of huge old oak and beech trees, and the downland section offers lovely views. We enjoyed discovering its set of Narnia-themed woodcarvings by talented chainsaw artist Ella Fielding, too. There was also a nice small dog-friendly café for an end-stop next to Chipstead station: FILTR by Coramandel Coast is run by a specialist importer of South Indian coffees, these were very good and so were the toasted sandwiches.
Big thanks to Elaine for leading us on an extra five-mile walk. On a mild sunny morning seven of us and the same three dogs set off from Balham station to make our way to Wimbledon via a string of green spaces and a section of the Wandle Trail . For the most part we were following s7 of Bob Gilbert’s Green London Way, aka ‘From Hustings to Huguenots’. As the title suggests there was plenty of local history to enjoy along the way, Elaine reading out short passages along the way to inform and entertain. We stopped midway for elevenses at the delightful Home Community Café inside St Andrew’s Earlsfield. Much of their produce comes from Paradise Co-Op up near Wandsworth Prison. We followed the Wandle and emerged at Garfield Rec from where we took Elaine’s revised route to visit the Shree Ghanapathy Hindu Temple on Effra Road which then led to our end stop at the Bliss in the Park café in pretty South Park Gardens near Wimbledon station.
Offshoots
Community Planting at Christchurch Gardens
- Tuesday 20 October 2026, 09:30-11:30Christchurch Gardens, Cabul Rd, SW11 2PN
- The event celebrates the 75th birthday of Battersea’s memorial to its civilian war dead of 1939-45 by replanting its pergolas and the bed in front of it. Come along if you’d like to help out or just learn more about the history of this unique little monument. Listed Grade II by Historic England, it was built in 1951 as part of the borough of Battersea’s contribution to the Festival of Britain. All tools and plants will be provided.
This is a joint event being organised by Enable Parks and the Battersea Society.
LITTLE VILLAGE ONE OFF VOLUNTEERING DAYS
Little Village HQ is looking for people to come forward to help out on their one-off volunteering sessions – a brilliant way to get involved and see the impact of your support in just a few hours. Whether you come solo, with friends, or as a small team, you’ll help sort, pack, and prepare clothes, toys, and equipment for families who need them.
If you want to help but can’t commit weekly or have CSR/employee volunteer days to use… welcome! And if you are busy all day and are looking for a volunteering opportunity to unwind in the evening or weekend, we have that too!
For dates and further information visit the volunteering page on their website
Surrey Federation
Battersea WI is a member of the Surrey Federation of WIs.
SFWI’s monthly newsletter is emailed to all members and is packed with information about everything from events to workshops. You can also access it via their website.
National Federation of WIs
WI Learning Hub: VIA update by Ursula
Every WI member is automatically able to join VIA classes talks and sessions, free, as part of WI membership. To find VIA, go to the National WI website From there, click on Lifelong Learning, which takes you to the VIA programme. To book a course you will need to log in using your MyWI account. If you haven’t already set one up it is very simple: your login is the email address you use for your membership (the WI website will recognise you from the membership records) and you will be asked to set up a password (or to reset it if you haven’t used it for a while). Then you just book whatever interests you. There are dozens of talks and classes to enjoy.
Thank you for reading! This is an edited version of our monthly newsletter. The full version, including meet up dates, is available to members only. To find out how to become a member, drop us a line via our contact page.